Lady from the Sand
by Wolfkcing
Summary: Harry and some one else. Who? *COMPLETE!*
1. Default Chapter

I dont and never will own zoids. Warnings: Harry+Fuma possible angsty beginning bad grammar.  
  
  
  
The sound of a car rung through the night. The continuous hum cuting through what would have been deafining silence. The sound breifly stopped as the man who once thuoght himself "destined to be king" lifted his head and let it drop back on the steering wheel. "I was right. I was right..." he mumbuled in a voice coated in worthlesness. He'd give anything to wrong just this ounce.  
  
Leena was with Bit. They said there was nothing between them. They said he was imaging things. They said he was parinoid. If only they were right and he was wrong.  
  
Suddenly desert landscape was disappearing behind his sports car. He didn't remember starting the car. This fact didn't bother him. Neither did the fact that he didn't know where he was going, how long till he got there or what he was going to do when he got there.  
  
His thoughts drifted like the land scape around him. They drifted to Leena, who he would give the world for. He would drink a gallon of acid for...well two gallons. No wait, make it three and not a drop more. Bit will be willing to too if he knows whats good for him.  
  
His eyes were in his mind. He was partly surounded by a yellow humid haze, dark desert land scape he some how new was there in all directions. He was then at the Blitz team's base. The door was a hundred times his size so he went under. He walked through the base in search of Leena. He stopped upon hearing his name.  
  
"So when are you going to tell Harry." it was the voice of Bit Cloud.  
  
"I dont know..." came the sadened voice of Leena Tauros. They were sitting on a couch in the living area. Bit with his hands behind his head. Leena siting sidways face Bit with her legs up.  
  
"What do you mean..." Bit asked trailing of." The longer you takethe harder it will be."  
  
"I know but...It's not like I enjoy breaking peoples hearts y'know." she said her voice rising. Bit smirked.  
  
"If you told me that anytime before last night I would have called you a liar." Leena returned the smile. leaned over and kissed him.  
  
NOOOOOOOOOOO! Harry screamed at them but no sound came out. He yelled inside and out but still no words escaped him. The haze surrounded him and focused on his rists. They became the hands of his parents. He looked at them. His parents stood beside restraing him even though he wasn't moving. Thier eyes disappeared, they turned to stone and crumbled. He was lost in the haze again but he was follwing two beams of light. They were moving swiftly across desert landscape.  
  
An incredeble force rocked his body back and forth with a terrible roar in attendance. Metal crumbling like paper and glass raining in all directions. The long loud sound of a car horn lifted into the night again. ******************************************** He awoke on somthing soft. his body felt like it was spining but the rest of the room wasn't. He recognized the room he was in. It was his after all But what time was it, what day was it. He sat up and tried to remember but something was trying to emerge whithin the depths of his mind. Something bad. He felt a chill. The room seemed to grow. He felt lonely and empty but couldn't fathom why.  
  
Noticing he was only in his boxers he found his usuall red long sleved shirt and green pants on a dresser. Soon he was at the breakfast table silently woundering what he was suposed to do today. If only he knew what day it was that would be a start. Sebastian and Benjamin appeared in the door and seemed to charge toward him.  
  
"HARRY!" they screamed in unison."Harry your up!" contnued Benjamin,"Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Harry looked at them confused. Why was it so important they knew he was awake? Before he could try to mouth the question the larger robot continued."We were worried sick! Are you alright does anything hurt. Do you-"  
  
"What the heck are you guys on about?!" he half asked half yelled in typical Champ fashion. They both stood silent for a moment.  
  
"Do you think it's possible he dosn't remember?" Sebastian piped in. "Looks that way answered." Benjamin.  
  
"Remember what?" Harry asked concern in his voice.  
  
"The Accident Harry." Sebastian said in a tone trying to jog the young mans memory. "We found you in half your viper the other half was in the front gate. You were returning from the Blitz team's base. What happened?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment. He rememberd his yellow Dodge Viper. Then he remembered going somwhere but where...Blitz team's base he thouht. Turning the thoughts over in his mind. Like a crack of lightning he remembered. Memory fell on him like water fall of tar. His face drained of emotions alerting his robot servants.  
  
He leand over, face inches from the table. Words escaped him "leena"  
  
"I knew it had somthing to do with her!" Benjamin shot in.  
  
"Thats why I felt a chill this mourning" Harry said meekly." I gave away my soul...so...I woke up with out it." Harry said as if figuring out a math problem.  
  
"What?! Harry dont be so morbid."  
  
What was he going to do now. He gave up Zoid battling. He wasn't interested in runing the Champ foundation. And now his chase after a shooting star had come to an end. *****************************  
  
After putting together bits and pieces of Harry's morbid riddles Benjamin and Sebastian were able to figure out what happened. For the next two weeks it was the same routine day after day. Harry woke up ate breakfast but slowly. He left to sit in a random place for hours Till dinner. Then he would go and stare at the studies he was supposed to be doing but never lifted the pencil. And finaly went to sleep. If ever approached during this cycle the intruder was treated to either complete silence or morbid half poems.  
  
The two robotic servants were at a loss. They didn't whant to contact his parents incase they just had him come home to help run the business. They were almost dead certain Harry in his right mind wouldn't whant that. Besides the robots themselves found zoid battles to be much more enjoyable.  
  
During the middle of the next week there was a break in the cycle that gave them hope and an equal level of confusion. Harry was online sorting through his inbox. It was full of adds but there was a letter from the Zoid Battle Commission. Benjamin and Sebastian read over Harry's shoulder as he responded to it.  
  
"Harry?" Sebastian said using Harry's name as a question.  
  
"I couldn't say no Sebatian. It's not polite" Harry said his voice still in a world of black sunsets.  
  
"Ooookkk." Sebastian said draging the word in his confusion. ***************************  
  
Four days later. Harry was awoken rudley to say the least as Benjamin poured ice cold water on his face. Cold liquid ran down his back.  
  
"AAAAhhh YAAAhaaahaaa! What the heck do you think your doing you crazy robot?!" Harry yelled standing on the bed tearing his light sleeping shirt off. The water was welling at his feet so he jumped the bed. "I told you how sensitive my back is to cold water."  
  
The servants would have been overjoyed to here Harry sound like well...Harry if his life wasn't in danger."Harry we've been trying to get you up for three hours!" Sebastian yelled.  
  
"Dont be ridiculous. You know I'm a light sleeper." The robots looked at him and he followed there gaze as it shifted to the stereo witch was of up full volume to the t.v witch was also full volume and on snowy channel.  
  
Harry just walked to closet to find clothes."Harry we have to talk about that request from the Zoid Battle Commission."said BenJamin after lowering the volume on both the stereo and t.v with his extenable arms.  
  
"What request?"  
  
"The e-mail you got four days asking your permission to station an agent here. You o.ked it " when Harry just continued fishing for cloths Sebatian continued. "You received another the next day containing details about the operation."  
  
"You say I read two e-mails and I don't even remember sitting at the computer." Harry stated .  
  
"Well actually, we read the second one you were in another trance. Anyway, the agent is investigating the possibility of a BackDraft threat rumored to be not from here."  
  
"So what. If the agent can't handle the threat the Blitz team's base is only 50 miles away. Bit will save us." Harry stated his coal colored mood in full swing.  
  
"It's not the roumor were immediately worried about!" Benjamin said pulling Harry to face them.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"The Agent is Fuma!"  
  
"Who is Fuma?"  
  
"The woman who piloted the Hammer Head when Dr.Layon captured you."  
  
"What!? We've got to warn the ZBC! We've got to get out of here!"  
  
"It's To late Harry she'll be here any minute now and the ZBC already know her history .Months after the Royal cup she was let out for good behavior and offered a job"  
  
"How can they just go around offering jobs to crimanals!?"  
  
"Can you stop yelling I can hear you just find?!"  
  
"She may be a crimanal but shes very skilled and knows how the BackDraft work. So you see she has great value to ZBC." Sebastian piped in." but if she is still loyal to the BackDraft who knows what might happen. A base full of Zoids and money only 50 miles from there sworn enemy-"  
  
"Sebastian-" Ben'jammin called trying to silence the smaller robot.  
  
"They could kill us and hide us in the walls-" Sebastian continued his voice becoming worried."-stage attacks on the Blitz team and hide here. Wear them down till-  
  
"Sebastian-" Ben jammin tried again but was cut off.  
  
"No one know we were gone until-"  
  
"SEBASTIAN!" Ben'jammin Yelled.  
  
"Sorry"  
  
Harry's face was draind and he was turning blue. He was half awake, still suffering from a love hang over and the BackDraft was coming to kill him. There was only one thing a man in this situation could do.  
  
"RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!!!" Harry took heading for the closest form of fast trasportation.  
  
"Wait Harry-" Benjamin sounded after him.  
  
They chased after Harry but not very far cause he was half way down the stairs. He stood completly still with either hand on either rail. Both robots followed his gaze to find a woman with dark hair but not quite black. She wore a long gray over coat and a cocky smile.  
  
Harry was frozen. To his fragile mind he thought he was being smiled at by a deamon. Then She spoke in an amused tone. "Is that how you greet all you guests?" Harry didn't know what she was getting at but he suddenly felt a chill. Was this it? Did she have a gun in that over coat or those suit cases? Suitcases!?  
  
Man it's cold in here Harry thought he risked looking at his shirt to realize it wasn't there! Thats what she on about. He was in nothing but his long light green boxers. Harry blushed and took off to his room past his servants in search of cloths. Forgeting about conspiracys and death threats. **************************  
  
Ahh thats all for now. See you next chapter. 


	2. Chicken salad

Uh... I dont own zoids. Thanks for the review Kat42.  
  
Well almost everything went as she perdicted. The robots now seated across from her in the living quarters were watching her every move. They no doubt know she used to work for the backdraft. The ZBC didn't tell anyone but it wasn't hard to find out. She began making movements just to agitate her audience as they waited for Harry to get dressed. Him coming down the stairs in his boxers was the only thing she didn't see coming.  
  
Finally, the king had arived. He sat between his robots looking miffed. He had on black pants and a nice blue long sleeved buttoned shirt. She herself had taken off overcoat to reveal a slightly tight purple shirt with short sleeves barley covering her shoulders. A black dress stopping just past her knees completing the wardrobe.  
  
"So how long are you going to be here?" Harry asked not sounding the least bit intrested. He was actually fishing for any hidden motives. His father tried to teach him to read people saying it was 'good for business'. Harry thought he wasn't any good at it but then again he knew Bit was after Leena before Bit did. The last thought locked up what little concentration he had managed to pull together for this little introduction.  
  
"As long as it takes," she answered with the same amused smile as before.  
  
Harry's thoughts were swirling as the small talk continued. He didn't actually hear her answers. Finally he ordered his robots to show her to the guestroom. They did so though reluctantly. Through his hazy thoughts he figured if she was trying to kill him he wouldn't mind.  
  
Late in the evening Fuma finished setting up her surveillance equipment giving her visuals within a 50 mile radius of the champ house. In particular an abandond mine 30 miles west of the estate. Either robot had watched her every move. She hadn't seen the Champ kid since this mourning but judging by the way he tried to read her earlier he mus'nt trust her. His robots were watching her after all.  
  
It wasn't her concern wether they trusted her or not. As long as they didn't do anything to jeopardize her mission. Taking a white wrist watch out of a open suitcase on her bed she made her way towards the smaller robot.  
  
"When's dinner?" she asked while putting on the watch.  
  
"Usually now but if whant anything your going to have to get it your self," he replied hotly.  
  
"Fine," She said walking past him. He tailed after her.  
  
Upon opening the large frigde in the kithcen Fuma was greeted with mostly vegetables. "Whats with all the grass?" she asked knowing Sebastian was behind her.  
  
"This refridgerator is filled with a wide assortment of health produce." Fuma cringed at the word health.  
  
"What's so heathy about starving? This cow is food," she almost grumbled." is Harry goning to be eating know?" she asked as an after thought.  
  
"No. Harry is in the middle of his studies."  
  
Harry was in his study room. His language arts book was opened to page 347 but you couldn't see that and neither could he. His forehead was aginst his desk and the book on the back of his head.  
  
"Studing makes you hungry. I'll make him some too," Fuma said to Sebastian. Full intent on annoying the little robot.  
  
"What do you think I'm here for?" exclaimed Sebastian voice a tad below a shout. He had a funny voice Fuma thought.  
  
"I thought you were here to serve your master and his guests," Fuma answered camly referring to him telling her to make her own dinner. Sebastian was about to retort but fell short of a come back. Fuma just smiled at this.  
  
"Fine!"he said moving next to Fuma and infront of the food she took out of the fridge. He picked up a recipe card. "Hmm... chicken salad. You read the ingredients," he handed Fuma the card.  
  
Fuma read the ingrediants,"1/4 cup white wine vinegar... 2 tablespoons water... 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil..." While Sebastian collected every thing." 1/8 teaspoon salt" She continued, "Poisin berries...  
  
"Poisin berries poisin berreis..." Sebastian said to himself looking through the items on the counter. " I dont see the- Hey wait a minute!"  
  
A short time later Fuma emerged from the kitchen with two plates of chicken salad. She studied her watch for a moment before heading to Harry's study room.  
  
Harry didn't realize he was hearing footsteps until they stopped. Taking the book off his head and looking strait across from him was the waiting smile of Fuma. She was sitting in the instuctors seat of the odd two person desk . She placed a plate infront of him. He looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time today. "Something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Are you going to kill me?" he asked out of the blue with out much life to his voice. Fuma was a little shocked.  
  
"Uh- no."  
  
"Isn't that what a killer would say?" he asked in the same tone.  
  
"Well then what would an innocent girl say?" Girl? For some reason Harry's mind stayed on that word longer than necessary. Was it because the suspected killer called herself a girl? "Point taken," he said finally still no change in voice.  
  
"Gee, you almost sound dissapointed." She said digging her fork in her chicken salad. Maybe he was Harry thought. Or maybe he's just feeling so sorry for himself another more persistent thouhgt pushed through. He looked at the plate in front of him but felt nothing that resembled hunger.  
  
"How do you plan to go about your investigation?" he asked changing the subject deliberately.  
  
"I've set up servailece equipment," she replied half woundering why he asked. He had asked her that this mourning. Must not have been able to think of any thing else to talk about she thought.  
  
"Who's watching it while your in here?" Harry asked. Fuma showed him her whatch.  
  
"This will alert me of any suspiciuos movement." It looked like as ordinary watch. "Are you alright?" light concern in her voice. He never seemed intrested in the answers to his own questions. "You dont have to eat that if you dont whant too. I wont be offended your robot made it."  
  
"It's not that..."  
  
"Then what?" she persisted her soft eyes still on him. Trapping him. He didn't like where this was going but at the same time couldn't understand why. Well she was a stanger. But those concerned human eyes... ahh! Your pathetic champ he thought. His mind was jolted by an irritaitingly loud buzz. It was Fuma's watch.  
  
"Exuse me," She made her way swiftly out of the room. 


	3. Let go

Disclaimer: I dont own Zoids. Thank you reviewers and future reviewers! I appreciate it. Thanks Mookie I'll keep all that in mind.( I put that in a reveiw but it didn't show up right~_^) last chapter was kinda sloppy.  
  
Fuma entered the guestroom, swiftly making her way to the tv. The ZBC's latest satillite equipment was attached to it. She looked at the screen to see only desert landscape. That cant be right she thought. She looked at her laptop that was also connected to the tv. just as her fingers tutched the keyboard an image appered.  
  
It was a black Zaber Fang. It was facing Fuma on the screen. Fuma's mind couldn't escape the feeling that it knew it was being watched. In a blink, it was gone. Fuma rubbed her eyes but the image didn't return.  
  
The next mourning harry's mind was wandering his base and his body was following. For some reason, a reason beyound Harry's reckoning, he felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt like he could see father, like a fog had lifted.  
  
The thought of Bit and Leena ran freely through his mind but no longer did it have the effect of fire. It flowed like water. He wondered if he was getting over her or just to numb to feel himself mentally drowning.  
  
Fuma watched him from the top of the stairs with Sebastian watching her. She had finally figured him out. She didn't really like not being able to read him. People were more unperdictable when under sress she realized.  
  
"So that whats wrong with him," she said to herself.  
  
"What...?" Sebastian asked over hearing her.  
  
"The gunsipper girl dumped him," She said simply feeling satisfied with her detective work. One enigma down, one to go.  
  
"How did you...?" Sebastian trailed off.  
  
"Is he goning to be o.k?" Fuma asked showing light concern.  
  
"I don't know. Why do you care anyway?" Fuma ignored the question headed down the stairs.  
  
"I'll go ask him myself then," she said over shoulder.  
  
"WHAT!?" he yelled trailing after her at full speed. "Dont say the L-word!" 'L-word', that had to be Leena, Fuma thought to herself.  
  
Sebastian stopped at the dinning room door while Fuma continued in. He couldn't whatch but at the same time he couldn't stop wathcing. Fuma breifly turned in his direction and stuck her tounge out at him. He could see Harry siting at the head of the long dinning room table. He seamed spaced out again.  
  
Fuma made her way toward her target. She had seen simular exspresions on his face yesterday but know she knew its source. Fuma felt her heart twist with a slight pang of guilt. She only came in here to annoy Sebastian. He looked so love lost she wanted to take his pain away.  
  
'I do? I guess I do.' Fuma thought to herself. She wan't one for arguing with her thoughts and emotions no matter how strange they seem at times.  
  
She sat down in a seat near his. He looked at her with confusion but not much surprise. "Are you alright?" she asked really not knowing how esle to start this conversation.  
  
"What?" Harry was startled from his thoughts. Um I-I'm fine."  
  
Fuma looked at him and through his words. He knew he was found out. He looked at his hands as silence replaced words. "O.k, I'm not fine. Happy now?" There was a litte bit of a snap at the end of his words. Sebastian winched.  
  
"You shouldn't keep negative feelings to your self." she said matter-of- factly. 'To myself' Harry thoughtto himself.  
  
"I don't. I told my robots all about it. Right Sebastian?" Harry responded.  
  
"Well..." Sebastian started while trying to find a way to back Harry. "You did say something about the five rings of hell." He said half in memory of some of Harry's dark words.  
  
"It was six!" Harry almost yelled in corection. Fuma seemed as amused as ever. She had managed to liven him up. Harry felt like he was under a knife. Why was she interrogating him anyway.  
  
Harry crossed his arms and looked miffed at his robots lack of support. "She left me for another guy." He blurted out. It had been true all this time but saying it know...it felt like it happened to some one else. Well she didn't actually leave him but details details...  
  
Fuma grimaced inside and gave Harry a silent apology with her eyes. Upon receiving it Harry felt like she was giving him sympathy for the wrong reason. "Well we weren't actually dating..."his voice half in memory of his quest for a shooting star.  
  
"Oh I see how it is." Fumas's voice rising as she did from her chair.  
  
"W-what?" Harry said not understanding her sudden change in tone. She looked at him accusingly.  
  
"You just wanted to sleep with her." she said. Harry shot up from his seat.  
  
"WHAT?! I-I-I'm not like that." He said with his index finger on his chest.  
  
"AHA! Your stuttering. That means your lying." she said simply.  
  
"I was not..." Harry stated, getting worked up.  
  
"Its o.k Harry. I'm just kidding." she said that damn smile on her face again. Harry was still flustered and took a moment to realize he was standing. As he sat down Fuma continued. "I know how it really is with you."  
  
"What do you mean 'how it really is.' Harry asked cautiously.  
  
"Just like corny romance movies," Fuma clasped her hands together, placed them against her right cheeck, stared dreamingly at Harry and spoke pretending to be a man. "Oh my darling, my one and only, please forgive me. I would have called last night but..."Fuma stopped for dramatic effect." I couldn't find a... phone."  
  
Harry felt like he was being insaulted but was fighting hard with the urge to laugh. Once Fuma picked up on this she got worse. In a fake love stuck female voice she continued," Oh my sweetness, I was devestated. But don't you own a phone?" Harry failed to surpress a chuckle so on she went. Answering herself dumbly in the male tone, "Oh yeah, I guess I forgot."  
  
Harry was laughing aloud know and Fuma followed with a small laugh of her own. Sebastian, who was joined by Benjamin, were standing in the doorway shocked. With one swift motion Fuma was sitting in her chair again with her head and forearms on the table. Harry could only see the top of her head. She looked like a puppet who suddenly had her strings cut.  
  
She felt silly but she accomplished her mission and silly was a good feeling anyway. After a moment of silence Harry spoke up.  
  
"So did you find the Backdraft group last night?" Fuma, shifting into sitting position, thought for a moment.  
  
"I'm not sure if it is the Backdraft but whoever it is, they know I'm here."  
  
"They do?"  
  
  
  
"Yeap. I'm using ZBC's state of the art equipment and someone hacked into it trying to play mind games."  
  
"Do you know when they'll come for you? Or dont they think your a threat?"  
  
"They must not be ready to go public with whatever it is they have out there."  
  
"Will the ZBC send you back up then?"  
  
"Not Without evidence."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The image they sent me was untraceble. I'll need evidence before they will send backup, espeacially all the way out here to an ex-Backdraft member." Harry Felt sorry for her that her recent employers didn't trust her. Even if they did have a good reson.  
  
They had to be in the abandonded mines only 30 miles away. How was she suppose to get evidence if they knew she was here. If they attacked his base the ZBC, or any other local athority, wouldn't have time to save them. Harry was about to alert Fuma of his mental findings but the look in her eyes said she already knew. She got up to leave.  
  
"Where are you going?" Harry asked her retreating form.  
  
"To get evidence."  
  
"W-wait. I'll go with you."  
  
She stopped, turned and gave him a sharp look that made him flinch inward. "Why?"she asked sincerely.  
  
"Well uh if they kill you this base will be next. We might as well combine our strength." He answered with a half truth. He was hoping to appeal to her soilder logic. Her mind seamed to work like that to him.  
  
"Your rich. You can buy another mansion." She said correctingly and left as though she had never been. Damn! She got him he thought with his spirits droping.  
  
Harry stared at the space she once occuppied. His gaze then shifted to the floor. She was probably going to be out numbered. Weren't they just bonding? She threw his attempts to help off like old bandages. Benjamin and Sebastian were at his side in moments.  
  
"So what do we do know Harry?"  
  
Harry was silent for a moment then his head rose with his voice and response,"We follow her anyway of course."  
  
His robot companions made a metallic sign. 


	4. Kablam!

Disclaimer:I don't own zoids. Thank mookie for beta reading this for me(Iknow I do!) Now my grammar is all shiny!  
  
Deep within the mines west of the Champ base, a man in his early 40's sat hunched over the keys to his computer. Absorbed in his work, he typed nonstop, sweat giving the large bald spot on his head a glossy look. The man sitting next to him, however, was bored out off his small mind and half asleep behind his small, circular green lens glasses with lightning shaped armbands.  
  
"Oh you like that huh? You like that don't you?! Yeah I bet you do!" the forty-year old said mockingly to the screen. "Come on you little bi-"  
  
"WILL you cut it out?!" the other man yelled.  
  
"What?" was the others response. "Humping the damn computer thats 'what'!?You damn freak!" The younger man yelled again. He was thin, half the other man's age, and completely bald.  
  
"Hey!" the older man fired back. "This is a difficult system to break into. You'd be going nuts, too, if you were me!"  
  
"You wouldn't have to be doing that if ya'd let us go kill the ZBC spy now would you?"  
  
"Typical street punk logic. If you kill the agent the ZBC will know were here." He stated, turning his attention back to the screen. "How will they know, Dr. C?" the young man asked cluelessly.  
  
"I'm not going through this with you again, Red. If you really want to have 'fun' so bad, get your 'boys' to stop slacking off. The sooner all those zoids are up and running, the sooner we take the Champ base," the doctor said with little enthusiasm.  
  
"Alright, alright. I'll tell 'em. Are you going to send her another image of my zoid." Red said rising from his seat, half interested in his new objectives.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"If you really want to freak her out you should send him an image of your mom," Red called out as he left, laughing as if he never had before. Dr.C ignored the lewd suggestion and continued typing.  
  
Fuma stared patiently at the radar in her warshark, dressed in her battle suit. It was a white and grey version of the Backdraft suit she used to wear. She had been watching for hours. The information she received told her that the Rev raptors she'd seen disappear into the mine earlier had returned. She watched them make their way away out of the mine.  
  
"So this is what it's like to work for the big boys, huh, Read?" a sarcastic voice rang from one Rev Raptor to the other. The first had very cheap paint job.  
  
"Out here playing stock boys. All that crazy scientist does is have us pick up supplies."  
  
"And all you do is whine, Pike. How exactly are we going to take over the world with no army?" the other man challenged.  
  
They continued in silence along a path of metal rods that Fuma guessed had something to do with how they had hacked into her equipment. After she determined they were a distance far enough from the mines, she prepared to attack. The familiar sight of three zoids marching from the Champ base greeted the evening air; Harry in his custom Darkhorn, Sebastian in a Stealth Viper, and Benjamin in an Iron Kong.  
  
"Well isn't this a familiar scene?" Benjamin asked appearing on the screens of his allies.  
  
"What do ya mean?" Harry asked, more interested in where he was heading than in Benjamin's actual answer.  
  
"The three of us marching off in our zoids. Not on a run. Not on a training drill. Not even to an official zoid battle, but off in the direction to accompany a female who doesn't want our company."  
  
"How true Benjamin," Sebastian added.  
  
"I have no idea what you're getting at," Harry said, getting riled.  
  
"Yes, and it's downright rude if you ask me," Sebastian piped in.  
  
"What would your parents say Harry? Bringing home a girl with a criminal record." Benjamin lectured.  
  
"WHAT?" Harry's voice exploded into their sound receptors. "That's preposterous! I don't want to hear another word about this from either of you."  
  
What was with those blot bags, Harry wondered. What could have made them come to the conclusion that he was...  
  
Harry's mind pushed around the rest of that thought. Fuma's smiling face appeared in his mind. Smiling like she knew something he didn't and wanted him guess what it was. How many times had Leena smiled at him? This isn't the time, he told himself.  
  
A missile violently rocked the upper body of Pike's Rev Raptor. Pike and his ally turned just in time to see a warshark plow into the dazed Pike's zoid.  
  
"What the hell is going on!" Pike screamed. "Who's attacking me?"  
  
Bullets rained on Fuma's warshark as it dove underground again. Red looked at Pike's Rev Raptor to see it slowly getting to its feet. He checked his radar to see that the enemy was directly below him.  
  
Fuma commanded her zoid to lock its jaws on the Rev Raptor's leg. At full speed, she charged into the other raptor zoid, submerging just as they smashed together.  
  
"Damn! Who the hell are you?" Read shouted.  
  
Fuma's smiling face appeared on his screen. "I'm with the ZBC. You're under arrest."  
  
The radar alerted Fuma to three more zoids approaching from the direction the raptors had been headed. Fuma turned her zoid to face the unconfirmed zoids. She noticed the metal row of bars stopped not far from where she was. When the zoids were in range, they should have been visible. They weren't.  
  
'They must be warsharks.' Fuma realized. 'But what exactly are they doing out here.'  
  
Fuma commanded her zoid to charge headfirst into the first one. It darted out of the way, and so did the second one, but the last one did not stray from its course. Fuma saw that first two were dragging something that looked like a huge, cylinder shaped crate. She pulled to the left, narrowly missing the last shark. Not wasting motion, Fuma stayed her course as the other sharks all turned to pursue her. On her radar, she could see them all catching up to her.  
  
'They must have released their cargo for more speed. If that cargo contains the supplies, the Rev Raptors must have been meeting them here. This is a halfway point. Those bars must have been cloaking the raptors from my satellite equipment while the sharks traveled underground.'  
  
Fuma stopped her zoid as two sharks zipped by. She performed a 180, smashing into the last shark as it caught up. Unlike the other shark pilot, Fuma had been expecting the daredevil stunt, and recovered from the recoil quickly. She headed back towards the Rev Raptors. Pike and Read were standing outside their zoids. Read was trying to see the battle while Pike was screaming and cursing. Fuma's zoid swept past in a blur and Pike disappeared with it.  
  
"Pike?" Red asked the human empty space around him.  
  
Fuma swerved around to face the pursuing sharks. Pike was clamped between the teeth of her zoid.  
  
"Halt! I have a hostage!" Fuma commanded.  
  
The crusty voice, but not the image of an enemy, entered the solitude of Fuma's cockpit. "You can't do that. You work for the ZBC."  
  
"Don't test me," Fuma said flatly.  
  
Pike let out a yell as the jaws began to tighten.  
  
"Wait!" The voice yelled. "Are you crazy?" "You'll find out if you don't get out of your zoids and kiss the sand," Fuma said, smiling.  
  
'This went better than I planned. I got five of them. How's that for evidence.' Fuma's self-congratulations were cut short as one of the warsharks fired its missiles. They were too far off course to be aiming at her, and she realized she wasn't the target. The missiles smashed into the side of the mine.  
  
"Give up babe," another, rougher, voice spoke in her cockpit. "You kill the hostage, then you'll have to kill us. If you somehow manage that, all of Neo-Backdraft will be on you."  
  
Damn! That was it. Fuma's calm facade started to falter. The jaws of her warshark released Pike. Her mind frantically cataloged different escape plans but was interrupted.  
  
"Feeding Frenzy!" The rough voice commanded, startling Fuma. The enemy zoids charged. Fuma desperately tried to escape but they were too close. They all locked their jaws on her zoid and began yanking and tearing at it viciously. Missiles blasted in all directions from Fuma's zoid, missing their targets.  
  
"Stop!" a voice demanded, breaking through all the vid screens. Through the haziness of half-consciousness, Fuma could make out the face of Harry Champ.  
  
Unpredictable, Fuma thought with light in her heart before darkness consumed her mind. 


	5. The final fallen.

Disclaimer:I don't own zoids. Thank Mookie for this shiny grammar if you haven't already. Final chapter. Enjoy!  
  
Fuma's sleeping form was lying on the guestroom bed, dressed in only a white tank top, long light green boxers, and various BandAids. Sweat covered her like a second skin, causing many of them to peel. Her slumber was rudely pierced by the irritating buzz of her watch. Instinctively she rose while reaching for it, only to find it missing. Her eyes scanned the familiar room that was lit by a single candle on the TV near her watch.  
  
The wavering light made her mind feel like it was between the gears of a zoid engine. Wiping her brow, her hand became soaked, causing her to realize how hot it was. As well as what she was and wasn't wearing.  
  
'They undressed me?' her thoughts jumped. She hesitantly lifted the top of the boxers that weren't hers. Upon finding that her normal undergarments seemed untouched, she calmed slightly. Looking at the numerous BandAids caused a warm feeling to manifest itself in her chest. She tried to beat it back with logic and reason.  
  
'Stop it Fuma. It's not like they saved you to let you bleed to death.' Only partially satisfied with her self reasoning, she made her way to the door, ignoring the dizzy spell threatening to ground her.  
  
Harry Champ sat in the blissful solitude of his roughed up Darkhorn. He had saved her as he had planned. At the expense of Sebastian's Stealthviper and nearly the little robot's life as well. They themselves had barely managed to take out two of the sharks before their retreat. Warsharks were such a pain to fight.  
  
The Neo Backdraft were on their way, but Harry was already on a battle field in his mind. He remembered how his heart rattled against the cage that was his ribs when he'd forced open Fuma's cockpit.  
  
'Nothing wrong,' he swallowed 'with feeling concern towards my fellow ma- er woman.' But why did he feel like he was rebelling against himself? His thoughts drifted back to when he was undressing her in the guestroom, the only light provided by a candle that Benjamin held. The only thing good thing about the black out caused by the 'Neo Backdraft' was that it had covered his crimson face at the time. Protectiveness emanated from him as he applied each BandAid.  
  
'Noooo,' the thought slowly playing out nearly became spoken words. He pounded on a wall of the rebellious thoughts. 'Traitor? To whom?' accompanied by a brief flash of Leena in his mind. He recoiled, hitting the back of his head against his seat. He swallowed the self-inflicted poison that was her image.  
  
A swirling fog lifted in his mind. 'What do you know about her anyway? Only that she's smart and funny and gorgeous and - STOP! If Leena didn't see anything in you, why should anyone? I was honest. I gave everything I had. I don't think...I could survive another fall.'  
  
Eyes down cast Harry began to remove himself from the cockpit of his zoid. Dropping to the ground, Harry's gaze slowly shifted toward the door. Standing in the doorway, awaiting his attention, was Fuma.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yessssssss!" exclaimed Dr. C, sitting at his computer. He turned to Red who was busy giving out orders. 'Bout time he got his act together.'  
  
"I've finished!" he called out over the commotion.  
  
Red turned and stared at him briefly like he was an idiot who should be shot. "Haven't you been listening to me! We don't need your stupid 'mind games.' She knows we're here."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I'm not going to explain this again, Dr.C," he said mockingly "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a base to capture."  
  
"Wait! You don't have the authority to make these kinds of decisions! Let me call Alteil -"  
  
"I'm not an idiot! I don't need my uncle's approval for everything!" he fired back at the elderly doctor. "'Sides, once we get the Champ base we'll have plenty of zoids to hold off the ZBC 'til unc' gets his butt outta jail." He then turned his attention back to his boys.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry was frozen in place. His mind screamed 'run.' Fuma made her way towards him the same smile as always. That smile could enlighten a funeral, Harry thought to himself. She stopped a couple feet from him.  
  
"Care to explain?" her soft, amused voice asked.  
  
"Uhh... I... the..." Harry stuttered while averting his eyes, ".air conditioner...enemy cut the power."  
  
Noticing his gaze was elsewhere, Fuma looked down, remembering her apparel. "Oh, I wasn't talking about that."  
  
"Then what?" Harry asked, still looking anywhere but at Fuma's attire.  
  
"Why did you save me?" Her tone held just a hint of seriousness, and her searched him. Lowering his guard. He didn't have an answer he understood himself that he could give her.  
  
He turned away abruptly. He could sense the alarm he hadn't meant to cause her.  
  
'Great! Now she knows something's up. She's so smart. What now? It can't be love. I'm...I was... I...Leena! What did I do to deserve this torture?!'  
  
"Harry?" came Fuma's voice. It was hesitant, soothing, and alluring to his ears.  
  
"Theenemywillbeheresoon," he blurted out. "I gotta get ready. There's a Warshark around here, if you think you're up to it."  
  
"All right," she said unconvinced. She started her search amongst Harry's many zoids.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"The enemy is approaching, Red," the voice of a young man rang into Red's ears. "I can see that," he responded snobbishly. Ahead of him, six Revraptors marched side by side.  
  
"I thought you said there were only four, Pike?"  
  
"There were," he answered nervously.  
  
"Oh who cares! Frag 'em." Red commanded. As the raptor zoids came within range and were shot at none returned fire. Another row appeared behind them. Four raptors and one Darkhorn.  
  
"They must be on auto pilot," said the voice of another young man with a blue mohawk and red warpaint under his eyes.  
  
"Thank you for pointing out the obvious Read," Red's perpetually rude voice thanked him sarcastically. Some of his men continued to fire at the approaching zoids.  
  
"Hey hey! We need those! We need those!" Red exclaimed ecstatically. If he had any hair, each strand would have been standing up.  
  
"Let them pass we'll get 'em later." As the first row of raptors filtered through Red's small army of 20 zoids, the Darkhorn stopped. Red's suspicions started to rise as eight of his zoids fell through the sand. The Darkhorn unloaded on any zoids still functioning after the fall.  
  
"How coul-?" Red started.  
  
"Must have used a Warshark to soften the ground prior to our arrival," Read quickly and calmly deduced. In the midst of the confusion, Red's men began firing at the unmanned zoids. One of the Raptors, however, returned fire. Adding to the confusion, a white, yellow and black Warshark sprang from the sands, firing missles and disappearing into the sands again.  
  
Frustrated beyond reasoning, Red fired at the Darkhorn, narrowly missing as it took cover in the ditch the others zoids had fallen into. He turned his attention to the one Revraptor that was firing at his men. Using the strike laser claw of his black Saber Fang, he cut off its head as well as the legs of the one behind it.  
  
"Ahhhhhh!" Benjamin's metallic voice was heard. "Ha! Before I single- handedly wipe your faces across the desert, why don't you losers show yourselves?" Red mocked. Fuma's face appeared on his screen.  
  
"Miltin Red Alteil," she said dragging his name out slowly.  
  
"Don't call me that!" he snapped, halfway standing in his seat. Looking at Fuma, he subdued a filthy smile cutting his face in half. "Do I know you? Please tell me I know you."  
  
"No, you don't. But I worked for your uncle. So he put you in charge of remaking the Backdraft group? He must have been desperate." Fuma stated in a completely unimpressed manner.  
  
"I'll show you! Come on out!" he challenged.  
  
"Where's the fun in that Miltin?"  
  
"I hate you mother," Red said flatly while firing randomly at the sand.  
  
"They're baiting you, boss." Read said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Shut up and get the Darkhorn!"  
  
Read did as he was told and headed for the ditch in his Command Wolf. Just as he neared the edge, the Darkhorn sprang at him using advanced boosters. Read barely dodged in time and fired at it as it flew past.  
  
Making a sharp 180, the Darkhorn returned fire. A blast from the Command Wolf hit the rhino zoid head on, causing a lot of damage. But the speed and excessiveness of Harry's galiting gun violently chipped away the face of the Command Wolf.  
  
Slowly the battle weary Darkhorn made its way to the black Saber Fang.  
  
Red followed his radar, chasing the oddly colored Warshark that Fuma had taken a liking to. The last Warshark on Red's side was pursuing her underground. She vaulted over Pike's Gunsniper. Seeing her surface, Red utilized his zoid's strike laser claw. Fuma submerged and continued her course past Pike while the pursuing Warshark caused a tremor, knocking Pike's zoid off its feet. Then the laser-powered claw of Red's night colored zoid decapitated it.  
  
"AHHH! Bossssss!" he whined before the signal went blank.  
  
"Shut up!" he yelled at the dead screen in frustration. The top part of Fuma's zoid was exposed, as a river of sand seemed to follow. It was irritation in the form of pins scratching at Red's inner will. Fuma suddenly stopped letting both her pursuers take the lead. She fired all her remaining ammo at both. The shark stopped moving when the light show was over. The Saber took every hit and fell over, but then slowly got to its feet.  
  
Fuma didn't expect it to still be functioning but wouldn't let it get to her. She stared determinedly as Harry's Darkhorn joined her. She didn't take her eyes off her target as Harry opened fire on it.  
  
The Saber Fang dashed to the right of the live rounds and charged toward them both veering up its claw attack. Both Harry and Fuma veered to the opposite side, but Harry's Darkhorn lost its back right leg. The tiger zoid ran at circle, avoiding Harry's pivoting galliting gun until a series of clicks replaced the sound of gun fire.  
  
"You're out?" Fuma asked, her face appearing on a vid screen in Harry's zoid. He merely nodded, not trusting his voice. Fuma was too focused to really notice. The Saber Fang was facing them again, preparing that same old attack. Fuma face, still visible on Harry's vid screen, had gained the weight of a wicked smile. Her zoid disappeared into the sand and reappeared next to the Darkhorn's remaining leg, on the right side of its body.  
  
"What are you doing?" Harry finally had to ask.  
  
"Shhh," she replied.  
  
"Giving up? Getting in line for me huh? Consider yourself lucky that I'm gonna make this fast!" Red threw out the words in a voice that was only half-sane. "Told you uncle."  
  
Fuma's Warshark locked its jaws on the right leg of the Darkhorn.  
  
"Hey. You're not gonna...?" Harry's voice trailed off as the Warshark picked up speed. The Saber Fang charged toward them at full speed. They mirrored this.  
  
"RRRRAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh!" the volume of Red's voice rose as adrenaline rushed through his head. It got higher and higher as he neared his enemy.  
  
"Uuh aaaaAAAAAHHH" the volume in Harry's voice rose with disbelief at how truly evil women were. A couple of feet and only a couple of seconds away, the space between the three of them was rapidly shrinking. The Saber became airborne in what seemed like slow motion. For whatever reason, Harry's mind was able to capture every detail but no sound. Fuma was still smiling. Always smiling. With a loud gut twisting crash, everything went black.  
  
"Oh, so you are still alive," Harry heard a mocking woman's voice. He opened his eyes, but nothing was registering with his brain. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with one hand and feeling sand between the fingers of the other. 'Sand?' It all came back to him at once. He sprang to his feet and pointed a finger at the woman in front of him. "Were you trying to kill me?!" Fuma's smile broadened genuinely. She couldn't help it. He was so cute like this. She knew she shouldn't let her next thoughts become words but she did anyway. "We ran out of ammo?" she said innocently.  
  
"Does my Darkhorn look like ammo?!" the pointed finger was replaced by a clenched fist shaking in her direction.  
  
"Well..." she started, her gaze turning only to the left where two barely recognizable, to say the least, zoids were piled together. "It looks like used ammo."  
  
Harry stared in awe at yet another death trap he had managed to survive. Fuma sneaked an arm around his neck and pulled him toward her until their cheeks touched. "Hey, we won!" she exclaimed. Harry recoiled at the contact. He once again turned away. This kick-started Fuma's mind, reminding her of her unanswered question. Looking at Harry's demeanor, her fast working mind had a good idea what kind of answer she was going to get. Her heart skipped a beat and a warmth rose up in her from head to toe. For first time in a long time she was nervous. In less than half an hour, Sebastian, who had been sent to get in touch with the ZBC prior to the battle, would return. They'd round up the Neo Backdraft members who were loose in the desert and any that were left in the mine. After that, she'd have no reason to stay. She'd continue wondering 'what if' - possibly until the end of her days. 'What if I'm mistaken. He was really into that Gunsniper chick. I'd seen him. 'Leena I love you more with every shot you fire my way.' Then again, if he's into girls that try to kill him, maybe I have a chance.'  
  
"Harry?" she called out with some weakness in her voice. Harry's mind caused his heart to start racing. She had figured him out. 'Should have run when I had the chance,' he scolded himself.  
  
"Why d-d-id you save me?" she asked, her voice close to a whisper. He turned to her, looking like a frightened animal. Fuma forced herself to remain still for the answer. He moved toward her, stopping inches from her face. His eyes searched for what seemed to be the answer to her own question. Then he startled her, dropping to his knees, placing his hands around her lower back, and leaning into her. She let out a breathless gasp before easing into the contact. Not knowing what else to do, she began to stroke his reddish brown hair. Harry let himself be absorbed into her warmth. Into an open heart. Letting her caress roll through him. He could have stayed like this forever, but he owed her an explanation. "You know why, don't you?" It wasn't a question. Fuma didn't answer. "You're smart, and you have a good heart that you show in your own way, and you're funny, and ...gorgeous."  
  
Fuma's heart was set aflutter. Harry released her and stood up, looking her in the eyes. "But you knew all that. And you know why I saved you. It's because I've fallen in love with you," Harry said, watching a uncontrollable smile that made his heart flip appear on Fuma's delicate face. Tears of joy built an unstable crystal wall in her eyes. "But you already knew that," he finished.  
  
She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug that almost knocked him over. 'What did I ever do to deserve this? I only joined ZBC to do the same thing I did in the Backdraft group without being arrested.' A warmth he could not refuse consumed Harry. All black memories faded and disappeared, crumbling like ashes in the wind. In their place was Fuma. She was in his mind, heat, and arms. He stroked the back of her hair as she somehow held on tighter. "Is it safe to assume you love me, too?" he asked a little smug. She pulled off his shoulder only long enough to press her lips against his, shocking the daylights out of Harry. This time they did fall, but neither noticed as they stayed like this for what seemed like hours. "You know *gasp* this means you *gasp* you can't... can't try to kill me anymore," Harry said between intakes of air.  
  
"Why not? You know you like it," she said getting to her feet. In the distance she could see ZBC zoids and other transports heading their way.  
  
"I what?" Harry asked, not following her mentally as he followed her physically towards her fellow ZBC comrades. "Wasn't it romantic when I tied you to my Hammer head," she said in a fake dreamy voice.  
  
"Um... no."  
  
"But I just used you as a missile and you confessed your love for me, so what's the difference?" she asked sweetly. Smiling inwardly and outwardly at the coming reaction, they headed away from the destroyed zoids and towards the rest of their lives.  
  
END 


End file.
